5 of the most underrated Royal Rumble returns of all time 

#4: Goldust: Royal Rumble 2013

Moving on from Booker T to his old tag partner Goldust, his return in the 2013 Royal Rumble was his first WWE match in over two years. Following an injury in 2010, Goldust began working in a backstage role but was released by the company in 2012. Despite a few appearances on the independent circuit, few expected that a veteran so late in his career would ever return to the forefront of mainstream wrestling.

He entered the 2013 Rumble to confront his brother, Cody Rhodes. Everyone, including Goldust, believed that his appearance in the match was just a one-off meant to pop the crowd.

As soon as his theme music hit, the crowd went wild and many were quick to note how Goldust was in great shape. He put on a respectable showing and was eventually eliminated by Cody Rhodes after lasting around 10 minutes.

For the next few months, his Rumble return was talked about favorably, but it was pretty much forgotten by September.

A storyline between Cody Rhodes and The Authority gave Goldust the chance to make another appearance where he took on then WWE Champion Randy Orton in a valiant effort. This match was so well received that he soon returned as a full-time wrestler in WWE.

Winning the Tag Titles with his brother in the main event of RAW on his first official night back as an active competitor, Goldust seemed to have rolled back the years. Despite being in his mid-40s, he was somehow more athletic than he had been in his prime and could even appear in more technical, fast-paced matches than he had been accustomed to.

This career renaissance eventually culminated years later with an acclaimed match with Cody Rhodes at AEW Double or Nothing in 2019. While fans continue to marvel at Dustin Rhodes' ability to return to top form so late into his career, it should not be forgotten how this all began as a surprise entry in the 2013 Royal Rumble match.

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#3. Mick Foley: Royal Rumble 2004

By 2004, Mick Foley was already a certified WWE Legend. Officially retired from in-ring competition since 2000, Foley had continued to appear on WWE TV, usually as a special referee or authority figure. Despite his non-wrestling role, Foley was still occasionally involved in physical altercations from time to time. Few believed Foley would ever step into a WWE ring again.

Following a very brief tenure as the Co-General Manager of RAW, Foley appeared dissatisfied with having to work a full-time schedule for such a limited role. So, an angle was put in place to bring Foley back as a competitor. In December 2003, Foley walked out of a confrontation with Randy Orton, who spat in his face and began berating him on a weekly basis.

At the time, it seemed that this was how WWE was going to write Foley off TV after his clear creative frustrations. Little did the fans know that he would be back in a ring just around a month later.

When Test, the number 21 entry in the 2004 Royal Rumble, was revealed to have been ambushed by an unknown figure backstage just before his turn in the match, authority figure Steve Austin sent the assailant in his place. After a brief pause, the familiar car crash intro of Mick Foley's theme played and the crowd erupted.

Foley made a beeline for Randy Orton and was so bent on getting his revenge, eliminated himself in order to cost Orton the Royal Rumble as well. This soon gave way to a memorable three-on-two handicap match at WrestleMania 20 between Evolution and The Rock n Sock Connection and then to the star making street fight between Foley and Orton at Backlash 2004.

Foley would continue to wrestle on a semi-regular basis from that point on and put on brutal but memorable matches with the likes of Edge and Ric Flair among others. While many remember Foley's second wrestling run in 2004, few seem to recall that the 2004 Royal Rumble match was his first match in over four years and was what opened the door for the far more memorable moments that followed.